Ark (Volume 2): Paradigm Shift

Utrecht-based conceptual artist Mark Sturkenboom graduated in Product Design from the ArtEZ Institute of the Arts.

Sturkenboom is fascinated by human behaviour and our relationship to objects. He re-examines the meaning of products by liberating them from their intended use. His work stimulates thinking about what we prioritise in life.

What would be the one thing worth conserving if there was an impending flood? Inspired by the narrative of Noah’s Ark and A History of the World in 10½ Chapters by Julian Barnes, Ark (Volume 2): Paradigm Shift is the second instalment of Sturkenboom’s Ark series. In the first series, Sturkenboom investigated what one would save if there was a massive flood. By building on the notion that we are a minuscule component of an ever-expanding galaxy, the existential Ark (Volume 2) questions the significance of human life and our role in the universe.

For Sturkenboom, the ark is a vessel for navigating a continuing dialogue between utopia and dystopia. It is a means to investigate fictional scenarios about time and space, reflecting on current and potential futures such as time travel and the afterlife. Sturkenboom’s work creates moments for contemplating universal themes such as love, time, or death.

Mark Sturkenboom

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Year of Birth
1983 (Driebergen, The Netherlands)

Education
Utrecht School of the Arts, ArtEZ Institute of the Arts, Arnhem

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Ark (Volume 2): Paradigm Shift

Utrecht-based conceptual artist Mark Sturkenboom graduated in Product Design from the ArtEZ Institute of the Arts.

Sturkenboom is fascinated by human behaviour and our relationship to objects. He re-examines the meaning of products by liberating them from their intended use. His work stimulates thinking about what we prioritise in life.

What would be the one thing worth conserving if there was an impending flood? Inspired by the narrative of Noah’s Ark and A History of the World in 10½ Chapters by Julian Barnes, Ark (Volume 2): Paradigm Shift is the second instalment of Sturkenboom’s Ark series. In the first series, Sturkenboom investigated what one would save if there was a massive flood. By building on the notion that we are a minuscule component of an ever-expanding galaxy, the existential Ark (Volume 2) questions the significance of human life and our role in the universe.

For Sturkenboom, the ark is a vessel for navigating a continuing dialogue between utopia and dystopia. It is a means to investigate fictional scenarios about time and space, reflecting on current and potential futures such as time travel and the afterlife. Sturkenboom’s work creates moments for contemplating universal themes such as love, time, or death.